Dog turns out to be the answer for boy with autism
BREMERTON, Wash. (AP) - "Life started for us," Lisa Jacobson says, on May 26 - the day Topper arrived.
The 86-pound black lab-golden retriever mix wasn't just a pet the Jacobson family had adopted. He came to their home with a higher purpose.
Frank and Lisa Jacobson's son Justin, 9, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3. They persevered through the neurological disorder's symptoms - random outbursts and running off, for example - that appeared as Justin got older.
But the onset of 30-minute epileptic seizures last year that took Justin out of school and put him into the hospital for more than a month was overwhelming for the family.
There was a ray of hope during the hospital stay - it came from a random visit from "Teddy Bear," a dog that traversed Mary Bridge Hospital to put smiles on the faces of patients.
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28 Sep 2007, 8:01 pm
